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10/2015
INFORMATION:
Tel.: (+36 1) 76 77 329
E-mail: [email protected]
ORDERS:
Tel.: (+36 1) 76 77 174
Fax: (+36 1) 28 81 522
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: www.posta.hu
THE FIRST SCHEDULED BUS SERVICE (BUDAPEST, 1915)
Magyar Posta is commemorating the centenary of the start of the first scheduled bus service in
Budapest by issuing a special stamp. The stamp design features the first two Budapest buses. One is
a battery-powered, double-decker Austro-Daimler, whose registration number was one, and the other a
single-decker with a petrol engine made in the Engineering and Rail Rolling Stock Works in Kistarcsa
in Hungary. Other bus motifs appear on the accompanying first day cover and postmark. Source
material for the issue was provided by the Hungarian Museum of Science, Technology and Transport.
Two hundred thousand copies of the stamp designed by the graphic artist András Andor were
produced by the ANY Security Printing Company. The new stamp will be available at large post offices
and Filaposta in Hungary from 16 April, but may also be purchased from Magyar Posta’s webshop.
At 7 am on 1 March 1915, a double-decker, battery-powered Austro-Daimler bus and a single-decker, petrolpowered vehicle made in the Kistarcsa Works entered service, thus launching the first scheduled bus service
in Budapest. The first passengers boarded the bus behind the Kunsthalle on Heroes Square and were taken
along Andrássy Avenue to today’s Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Street (then named after Emperor Wilhelm). Of the two
vehicles, the double-decker received the registration number XX-1 and the single-decker the registration
number XX-2. The buses departed every quarter of an hour and, as there were no bus stops yet, anyone could
wave to stop them anywhere. The next day’s newspaper reported: “The tasteful and comfortable vehicle had
few passengers on the first trip, and the conductors had to invite the public with friendly encouragement. Only
later, when it transpired that anyone could travel on the automobile for 14 fillers, did business become brisker
and passengers crowded the vehicle’s velvet-covered seats just as they did its top-deck benches. They were
gratified to discover that the new convenience moved smoothly and speedily on the road.”
By the summer of 1915 another two vehicles had arrived in the capital city. The new buses, whose chassis
was made by MARTA and body in the Weitzer factory, were manufactured in Arad. The new double-deckers
entered service on 20 August (on 10 August according to some sources). The additions were sorely needed
as a technical fault had forced the bus made in Kistarcsa to be withdrawn from operation in the meanwhile and
from April only the battery-run bus ran until help arrived from Arad. The capital city ordered more new buses,
opened new routes and traffic steadily increased. The World War, however, which had been waged since the
summer of 1914, began to make greater and greater demands on those living far from the action. It became
increasingly hard to purchase solid rubber tyres and to obtain fuel. Eventually, on 10 April 1917 the bus
service had to be discontinued and was only relaunched on 24 September 1921. (Source: bkv.hu: Bus service
in Budapest is 100 years old, special issue of “A MOZGÁSBAN” magazine)
BUS 1915: Order code: 2015120010011 (stamp); 2015120060012 (FDC)  Date of issue: 16 April 2015  Face value:
HUF 475 (On the date of issue, the HUF 475 stamp pays the postage of a domestic priority other 50 g registered letter.) 
Number of copies: 200,000  Perforation size: 50 x 26 mm  Printing method: offset  Printed by ANY Security Printing
Company  Photograph by the Hungarian Museum of Science, Technology and Transport  Designed by András Andor